Checklist

Lead Follow-up Checklist

A repeatable checklist for responding to and progressing new leads — so nothing slips.

Summary

First response within 1 hour beats perfectly-written follow-ups sent 2 days later. Consistency matters more than cleverness.

First response (within 1 hour)

Acknowledge receipt in the customer's words
Confirm what they asked for in one sentence
Offer a specific next step (time, link, question)
Add to CRM with source and next-step date

Day 2-3

Check for reply
If no reply: one short nudge
If replied but no meeting: propose 2 specific times
Update stage and next step

Day 7

Value-add follow-up (case study, useful link, template)
Ask a direct question about their situation
Move to Nurture if still no response

30-day nurture

One relevant resource per month (max)
Keep it light and non-pushy
Re-open as active if they respond

Common misses

Templated emails that feel copy-pasted
No specific next step
Giving up after 2 attempts (most replies come on 3-5)
Using "just checking in" as the message body

Frequently asked questions

How many follow-ups is too many?

In B2B, 5-7 contact attempts over 3-4 weeks is reasonable. Then move to long-term nurture.

Next step

Keep exploring related resources to strengthen this area of the business.

Read How to Improve Lead Follow-up

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